'HAMILTON'

An American Musical

Posted
Friday, October 20, 2017 11:11 am

Reviewed by Evan Nadeau, a Senior at Chariho High School

Hamilton is one of the most popular plays on Broadway right now, winner of 11 awards in 2016, it sold out on Broadway for months. And when you look at what type of musical it is, there is no question why. I traveled to New York city last month to see Hamilton and on my way there, I saw a plethora of signs in Time Square showing off The Lion King and Hello Dolly, which made its Broadway debut in 1964. Basically what I am saying is that there is not a lot of innovative plays, nothing really new that caught my eye. However, Hamilton is new, it’s creative, and definitely different.

The musical is basically a story of Alexander Hamilton's life, from when he first came to America, to his death in 1804, and his rise and fall in the brand new America. Sounds kinda boring right? But when you take a life that someone like that had which is pretty interesting in itself, and add fantastic singing, rapping, and choreography in the mix, then you have a Tony winner.

What was really done well was the story telling though, because it is basically all rap, the characters are able to tell the entire story very well and, as a viewer be able to follow it easily. It was also quite funny at times, from the ever so often visit by King George to describe how the Colonies were going to fail without Britain's help, and his bashing of the new form of government in the new land, to the characters joking every so often about the current circumstances.

I also found that I actually learned a lot during the experience. I never really thought of Alexander Hamilton as a founding father, but truthfully, he set up America’s first economic system, and lead a group of soldiers in the battle of Yorktown. Alexander Hamilton's life was almost one that could have been written by Shakespeare. He starts in humble beginnings as an orphan from Saint Kitts and Nevis. He moves to the Americas, where he was known to be a very smart man with a lot of ideas. He is befriended by many people, later leading an army and becoming the treasurer of the United States, just to be shot and killed in a duel by his first and best friend, Aaron Burr.

It was also a story of romance, politics, and plenty of song and dance. It was a spectacle, and seeing it on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre made it even better. If you are not a fan of musicals, like myself, Hamilton will surprise you, it is entertaining and interesting. It was an amazing performance of dance, song, and story that definitely justifies why it has won so many awards.

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